Top 10 Secrets To Getting A Salon-Like Pedicure During Quarantine

Top 10 Secrets To Getting A Salon-Like Pedicure At Home

I do not know about you, but not being able to go to the salon to get my nails done or worse covering my grays has been a bummer.

While I’ve always been a big fan of "At Home DIY Beauty," something like my hair and nails I saved for the pampering at my favorite salon.

But, with this lockdown, it is not possible, and letting ourselves go is not what we need to be doing. This means we have to become creative, and that is just what we are going to be sharing with you over the next month, with "Our Top Quarantine Beauty Tips."

From creating your own nail polish to beauty masks made from items in your frig, pampering yourself with salon-like pedicures at home, to how to apply skincare without using your hands, and other Skincare Quarantine Tips. We have you covered over the next month.

So go grab a glass of wine, some comfy clothes, and let's get started on today's DIY Tip, which is our "Top 10 Secrets To Getting A Salon-Like Pedicure During Quarantine."

Pedi Passion
With spring in the air, the shining sun, it's time to show off those feet and toes, but are they ready? These little piggies have been cooped up for months, so let them loose.

One of the best ways to revive your feet and toes is with a pedicure. Because when your feet feel good, your whole body feels refreshed and energized.

Before we dive into the pedicure and how to get Tip Top Toenails! I am going to start with a DIY Nail Polish, so once this is complete, you can jump right into the pedicure.

Posh And Polish 

Making Your Own Nail Polish

For this portion of the post, I partnered up with Mixify Beauty's Make Your Own Nail Polish Kit.

I think we "nailed it" with this brand! It sure comes in handy with all of this downtime and for many a lack of funds! Speaking of money, the quarantine special will get you $15 OFF this set, now how is that for a savings?

Beauties, this is your chance to unleash your inner artisan and create your favorite nail polish colors! Sounds fun, right? Well, it sure is!

Mixify Beauty's Make Your Own Nail Polish Kit comes with everything you need to mix, blend, and create your very own custom nail polish. Complete with eight different pigments so you can create everything from bright colors to neutral classics.

 
The Complete Kit includes:

• 8 Color Pigments (5 basic colors: red, blue, yellow, white, black and three passion colors: purple, orange, teal)
• 5 Uncolored Nail Polish Bottles
• Limited edition collectors tin
• Mixing Tray
• Funnel
• Spoons & Stirrers
• Mixing Ball
• How To Create Your Own Nail Polish Cheat Sheet

How Can I Make Nail Polish At Home
Creating your signature nail polish color with Mixify DIY beauty kits is so easy in 3 steps:⁠

1. ⁠Blend⁠
2. Mix⁠
3. Shake⁠

That's it! You can create 5 signature colors with each kit.

Now that you have created your own beautiful colors of nail polish, let's go over some ways to show your feet a salon-style of pedicure in the comfort of your own home!

Scrub and Soak
You want to start with clean feet, so what better way than to implement a foot scrub and a soak. A DIY approach to this is to combine some coconut oil and sea salt to soothe those soles. Finish by scattering some rose petals in the water to boost the rose scent, and add an extra feeling of calmness and rejuvenation.

Coconut Oil And Salt Foot Scrub
You Will Need

• 1 cup salt (use Epsom or any bath salt)
• ¼ cup of coconut oil
• 3-4 drops of any essential oil

Coconut oil has many healing and anti-inflammatory properties and is terrific at keeping the bottom of your feet moisturized.   And if you have really dry feet, trying adding a few drops of peppermint oil. Not only can peppermint help with itchy, dry feet, it is also relaxing, and is excellent at ridding any funky, fungus toenails. Lastly, you want to make sure to use warm water instead of hot, as hot water can strip the moisture from your feet, which can lead to dry, scaly heals.

Dry Up
After soaking your feet, make sure to thoroughly rinse off the scrub or other products and pat your feet dry. Pay close attention to moisture between the toes, which can lead to athlete's foot or other fungal infections.

Moisturize Those Dry Winter Feet
Cold weather can drain away moisture from your feet, so getting them Spring ready requires some extra moisturizing! Apply cream all over your feet and toes. Don’t forget your heels!

Cut The Crap
You want to trim your toenails, just above the top of each toe. Snip those tips by using a straight-edge toenail clipper as it gives you more of a precision cut. You want to make sure that you cut your toenails when they are wet to avoid them from cracking and splitting. Finish by smoothing out the edges and shape your nail with a professional-grade emery board.

Clean Nails
It seems simple, but you want to make sure that you completely remove all the old nail polish. One way to ensure this is a quick wipe over with some vinegar, as it will remove any leftover nail polish remover, moisturizer, or any other residue, ultimately enabling the polish to adhere longer.



Polish Up
The application is essential! After all, the nail polish is the icing on the cake, so to speak. Hence, you want to make sure you are patiently applying the nail polish you just created so it will dry correctly, preventing smudges. Mixify Beauty's nail polishes are quick-drying, long-lasting, and vegan!

Prevent Smudging
One reason your nails are smudging is that you are applying too much nail polish at once. Instead, use multiple thin coats instead of one thick coat. Doing numerous thin coats will enable those layers to dry and not smudge. Painting is a 3 step process. You want to start with one coat down the middle and one on each side.

No More Messy Pedicures
A "Phenomenail" way to keep nail polish from running onto your cuticles or toes is to apply a small bit of petroleum jelly along the sides and the base of your nails. If polish seeps off the toenail, who cares, as all you have to do is wipe off the petroleum jelly, and you now have perfectly painted nails!



Baby Soft Feet
Foot moisturizing socks are perfect for baby soft feet. But you can make a DIY version by mixing some coconut oil with some aloe and lavender water, and apply the mixture all over of your feet. Finish by wearing warm socks (heat them in the microwave) overnight to moisturize your feet deeply.

So there you have it beauties, the top 10 salon secrets revealed on how to get a salon-like pedicure at home!

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I am such a big fan of turmeric I first started out using it for inflammation when I hurt my back. But beauties let me tell this spice has some many benefits including skincare!

Turmeric has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties.  It is used to help heal and prevent dry skin, slow signs of aging, diminish wrinkles, and improve skin’s elasticity!  Wait, it does all of this… YES and more!

The Benefits Of Turmeric And Skincare

What Is In Turmeric That Is Good For You

Turmeric has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb. The plant’s intense healing power primarily comes from Curcumin, its main active ingredient.  Curcumin is packed with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory firepower that promotes an incredible range of healing benefits.  Although it only takes up 3% of the plant, companies will extract this and concentrate the compound into a nutritional supplement.

How Turmeric Can Benefit Your Skin
As mentioned above turmeric has some great antioxidant properties and this is why I love to implement it in my skincare routine.  Turmeric has many beauty benefits, for example...

• It is high in antioxidants that can slow down cell damage.
• It’s great to use to exfoliate the skin.
• Improves skin’s texture
• It helps with inflammatory skin conditions, such as acne, dry skin, psoriasis, and eczema.
• It helps reduce pigmentation and even out the skin tone.
• Great for anti-aging 

Turmeric DIY Face Mask
While there are tons of skincare products out there. I do like to make my own DIY mask with capsules, like those from Turmerical. One of my favorite Turmeric DIY skincare masks is the Yogurt, Honey, and Turmeric Face Mask.  See below how to make this awesome mask.

Ingredients 

1. One teaspoon of Turmeric 
2. Two tablespoons of Greek yogurt
3. 1/2 teaspoon of raw honey

• Combine the ingredients together in a small bowl.
• Stir until the ingredients are completely mixed.
• Apply the mask to your face using a soft brush. (A CLEAN old makeup brush works great)
• Relax and let the mask sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Rinse the mask off with warm water. 
• This can stain so be careful when preparing and using.

Other Uses Of Turmeric
Regular intake of Turmeric Curcumin has been scientifically shown to naturally reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels, prevent deteriorative brain diseases such as Alzheimers and cancer, promote weight loss, improve digestive health, and significantly reduce chronic joint pain and Arthritis.  How can one supplement have such a powerful impact across such a broad range of health conditions?  The magic is in its life-altering anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.

Here are a few other ways turmeric can help your body according to Turmerical.

• Increase brain function and lower risk of brain disease
• Lower your cholesterol and risk of heart disease
• Reverse aging and improve skin health with powerful antioxidants
• Reduce chronic joint pain and pain related to Arthritis
• Improve your memory
• Promote weight loss

The Quickest Way To Chill Wine

Wine is one of my loves, and similar to makeup, I have a few DIY tips up my sleeve about it.  If you are having a last minute dinner party and need a chilled bottle of wine quickly, this is a bit you want to know about.

The quickest way to chill wine is with salt! Yes, salt is the magic ingredient to chilling wine quickly.

So How To? 

1. Fill a bucket with ice, water and add about ½ cup of salt. 
2. Place the bottle of wine in the middle of the mixture.
3. Leave for 10 minutes, and your wine is quickly chilled!

So, why does salt quickly chill the wine? Because salt lowers the freezing point of the ice, hence make the water around it colder quicker.

Cheers, until next time!

Coffee Facials

It’s been a while since my last Pantry to Pretty bit.  But today's is one that will really PERK you up!

This tip is from a close friend of mine, who pick this up while in California.  I guess with all the sun there; this spa treatment has been a "Grande" beauty bit… A skin treatment from espresso coffee grounds!   Yes, coffee grounds.  You see coffee grounds contain anti-oxidant agents that help in protecting the skin from free radicals, hence decreasing the risk of skin cancer.  In addition to this, the caffeine contributes to tightening the pores.  Yeah!

Considering, I consume a lot of coffee; this D.I.Y. coffee facial was easy to test out. See the recipe below I brewed up.

Coffee Facial Scrub:

• 1/4 cup of ground espresso beans
• 2 table spoons of olive oil or you can use a combination of coconut oil & olive oil
• Apply to face in a circular motion
• Leave on for a 4 mins.
• Rinse

I applied the mixture to my face, neck and decolletage. I found that this mask helped to remove the dead skin cells, plus I liked how it made my skin feel.  One downside was the grind.  If you are one that is not used to doing a lot of facials, you may want to consider sticking to a finer coffee ground for your face. A larger grind works better for areas you can be a little rougher on. Lastly, the area will be red for a bit, so don't be alarmed.

So there you have a beauties, another Pantry to Pretty Bit, until next time!

Tea Please; The Unusual Uses For Tea

The crazy things your parents did when you were younger either will haunt you, or as an adult you will see the crazy benefits and repeat them.  Well, this pantry to pretty bit is one of those embarrassing childhood memories... Don't Tease Tea's Me Please.  Yes, this is a post about tea; the unusual uses for tea bags to be exact!

Stinky Shoes:  This is the one my mom used to always do, minus the embarrassing story. Which is to place a tea bag in each shoe.  The tea bag would absorb the stinky odor! Tea bags also work great for gym bags.

A Cleaning Solution:  Brew your old tea bags to make a cleaning solution.  The tea will help cut the grime from your mirrors and counter-tops. IMPORTANT: You want to make sure when using it on your counter-tops that it doesn't stain.  Some older or cheaper counters, I would refrain from using this solution on them.

A Soothing Relief:   Tea bags are also great for soothing cuts, sunburns, and swollen eyes.  Here are some additional tips on bagging those puffy eyes.

Removing Hair Build Up:  This one I got from my friend Teresa and I just recently tried it.  It really works wonders on removing build up from hair products.

•  How To: For this you are brewing some tea, once brewed take the warm tea and rinse it through your hair.  I would also be careful if you blond hair, I'm not sure if this will effect the color, so be cautious.

So next time, instead of tossing that tea bag over board, keep it! Bon Voyage!

Take Two Aspirin and…The Different Uses For Aspirin

There are a lot of different uses for aspirin aside from medical. Today, I’m going to share with you some benefits for your head; of hair that is. These unusual uses for aspirin work because of the  salicylic acid in the them. So without further ado... 

Hair Color:

This one, fortunately I’ve never had to use.  But my sister (sorry sis), used this remedy when we were kids for her green hair.
The sun and blond may go together, but chlorine isn’t always a blonde’s best friend.  If you’ve ever had your hair turn a greenish color from chlorine, no need to scream, as an aspirin can clear it up.  

How To:

• Take 8 aspirins and let them dissolve in some bottled water.
• Shake it up to make sure all is dissolved.
• Pour the solution into a hair coloring bottle and distribute on your hair. 
• Leave it on your hair for 10 minutes and wash.
• Depending on the extent of the green, you may have to do a couple of washes.

Dandruff Control:

No need to purchase two shampoo’s, as you can make your regular shampoo a dandruff control shampoo. By adding some aspirins to it!

How To:

• Pour some shampoo into a small travel bottle.
• Crush 2 aspirins in some aluminum foil.
• Take the aluminum foil and use it as a funnel to pour the crushed aspirin into the travel shampoo bottle.
• Mix with a stir stick.
• Wash as usual.

Remove Product Build Up:

Follow the same recipe you would for the dandruff shampoo.  But after shampooing,  you want to make sure that you deep condition,  to add moisture back to your hair.

So hair, there you have it, another pantry to pretty bit!

Greek Yogurt For Your Hair

Now you can have the hair of a Greek goddess, with this DIY deep hair regiment.  Today’s Pantry to Pretty bit is made with Greek yogurt.   There are many benefits from the use of Greek yogurt, as it helps to moisturize, strengthen, while adding shine and luster to your hair.

So How To?  This is actually a simple process, and all you need is only a few items.

Items:

• Plain Greek Yogurt
• 5 Hair Clips
• Disposable Gloves
• Shower Cap
• Mixing Bowl

Preparation:

• Take 6-7 tablespoons of PLAIN Greek yogurt and place it into a mixing bowl.
• Prep your hair, by dividing it into 5 sections. (this will enable you to get the best coverage).
• One on each side of your head.
• Two in the back.
• And the top of your head.
• Start with the bottom section of your hair, and apply the yogurt with a color brush. Or you can use some plastic gloves and apply with your hands.
• Repeat this process and work your way up to the top of your head.
• Once all of your hair is covered, twist it all together, into one bun.
• Cover your hair with a shower cap and leave for 45 mins. Possibly longer depending on the damage & length of your hair.
• Rinse your hair with cool water.

So hair there you have it, a deep conditioning treatment with greek yogurt,  that won't break your wallet!